The Hamilton Mardi Gras Festival – A “Jump-Up” in Steeltown

I first wrote this entry on August 7 2010 – after watching the Hamilton Mardi Gras Festival Parade. Stay tuned for a one year “postscript” after this text!

Hi everyone:

It’s funny what happens sometimes when you decide to re-start your computer. Such was the case just before 12 noon today when I noticed this machine seemed a bit sluggish and things were not as smooth as they should be. I figured that a re-start might be the cure for what was ailing it. But like many Windows-based computers, especially an older model like this one that has a slower CPU and less RAM that newer models, it always takes a while for my computer to complete the Start routines and be ready to do my bidding. In fact, I have long been in the habit that when I re-start my computer, I don’t even think about using this machine for at least 15 or 20 minutes in order to let all the various start-up sequences do their thing.

Since it was a Saturday morning and I didn’t have any urgent tasks to do, I thought it might be fun to go out and enjoy the day . And as noted above, it was going to be a while before my computer was ready to go, and that was fine with me. I had already been down to Jackson Square (downtown Hamilton’s major shopping mall) earlier in the day for a coffee and muffin – along with a look through today’s edition of our local paper (the Hamilton Spectator), so I knew that it was a perfect summer day. Sunny and warm, but not “hot”. Almost no humidity and a nice breeze that made it very comfortable and refreshing. If you follow my blog on a regular basis, you know that I normally don’t like the summer. But my morning walk had taught me that this was looking like a nice day that even I could enjoy. Why not take advantage of the opportunity, go for a walk around downtown Hamilton and see what was happening?

It didn’t take long for me to find out. As I walked down James Street from my apartment, past the Hamilton GO Centre towards the downtown core, I started hearing music off in the distance. At first, I thought it was a lunch-hour concert at Gore Park, something which often happens during the summer months. But I dismissed that thought because I realized that the direction wasn’t right. I soon realized that the music was in fact coming from the large parking lot behind City Hall. As I stood at the corner of James and Jackson waiting for the traffic light to change, I glanced over that way. Sure enough, that’s exactly where the music was coming from. But that wasn’t all. I caught a glimpse of an amazing visual explosion. People clad in festival costumes, and some incredibly colourful floats. And it was starting to come my way. My guess was that this had to be some sort of parade or similar event. I was curious and decided to stick around to see what all this was about.

Oh – it was a parade all right. What I was seeing was the start of the 2010 edition of the Hamilton Mardi Gras Festival parade. And then I remembered during the past couple of weeks seeing large orange signs indicating that James Street would be closed through the downtown core on August 7 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on account of the parade. That time had now arrived. Since I had no specific “agenda” and didn’t really care what time I walked back home, I thought it might be fun to find a space somewhere along James and watch the proceedings. In the end I couldn’t settle on just one – but my favourite spot wound up being from the Jackson Square Plaza, an open-air courtyard located above the mall itself, overlooking the corner of James and King. It turned out to be a great location for what turned out to be quite a spectacle that lasted for some time.

For my readers who haven’t been exposed to this sort of thing before, how would I describe the Hamilton Mardi Gras Parade? Very much like Caribana, Toronto’s world famous festival of Caribbean (aka the West Indies) culture that has taken place over a 2 week period in late July and early August every year since 1967. The climax of Caribana is the incredible parade that takes place every year on the first Saturday in August – and which draws hundreds of thousands of people from all over North America and beyond. Not only is it a great party, but the visitors to Toronto contribute millions of dollars to the local economy. Although I have never been to a Caribana parade in person, I have often seen it on television and also know many people who have attended and participated in the parade. It’s an amazing display of colour, celebration, lively music and just plain fun. While it’s aimed primarily at those from the Caribbean or those who have some kind of connection to the islands – everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved. It really is diversity at its best.

Today was not the first time I had encountered the Hamilton festival. I have now lived here since September 2002 and over the years I had seen various signs and other promotional material telling us about the festival. I also knew that the Hamilton Mardi Gras was started in 2001, not as competition for Caribana, but rather to enhance and follow-up on the Toronto event. Seems that many members of Hamilton’s Caribbean community wanted their own festival and what I and many thousands of people witnessed today was merely the 2010 edition of the most public event of Hamilton’s Mardi Gras.

What I witnessed from the Jackson Square Plaza was an amazing kaleidescope of sights and sounds. Men and women dressed in colourful costumes that in many cases were much bigger than the people carrying them, dancing to a variety of Caribbean music – calypso, soca and other “island” sounds. Lots of wonderfully decorated floats – some of which doubled as giant sound stages, from which all the music was coming. To sum up the big picture, it was just a great party atmosphere. Or what many folks from the islands like to call a “jump-up”.

Now before we go further, let me clarify something here. I know that some of you may tell me that the term “jump-up” most often refers to various forms of street-dancing, in particular those associated with Caribbean, African-American and related cultures. It’s also a big part of today’s “hip-hop” music scene. But many of my Caribbean friends have told me that it can also refer to a party, festival or other celebration – especially when that type of “jump-up” dancing plays a key role in the proceedings. And that party/festival reference is the context in which I am using the term “jump-up”. I have also heard it used in that same way by the media. To cite some examples, have a look at a few articles about the 2010 Caribana Festival, some of them referring to a “jump-up” the same way I do:

And as I watched everyone pass by from my vantage point high above the corner of James and King in the heart of downtown Hamilton, it soon became apparent that’s exactly what this was turning into. A “jump-up” of epic proportions. Float after float and dancer after dancer, they just kept coming in waves of sound and celebration. If I didn’t know better, I could have sworn that I wasn’t in Hamilton – but perhaps down in the Caribbean itself. Kingston, Jamaica? Port of Spain, Trinidad? Bridgetown, Barbados? Maybe Hamilton, Bermuda? But this was not the Caribbean – I was in Canada. The atmosphere sure felt Caribbean, that’s for sure.

After what seemed like about 45 minutes but might have been longer, I decided it was time to take a break. Yes, it was a lot of fun to watch the parade, and the weather conditions were ideal, but my primary concern was being out in the sunshine for too long. I wanted to be careful that I didn’t get too much exposure. Especially for someone like me who has a low tolerance and can get not just a suntan but a sunburn rather quickly. And I must confess that while I was enjoying the music and celebration, my ears needed a break from the high decibels being pumped out from the speakers on those floats. So I left my spot high above the parade, walked down a nearby stairway back to street level, and went into Jackson Square. I’m one of those strange guys who actually enjoys browsing through shopping malls. That’s something women tend to be better at than men, but I don’t mind admitting that it can be a fun past-time. But remember, you’re just looking – don’t buy anything!

I didn’t keep track of how long I spent wandering around Jackson Square, but after a while I decided to head out again and see how the parade was going. After all, the Caribana parade usually goes for hours and hours and hours… you get the idea. Why should the Hamilton edition be any different? But when I returned to the corner of James and King, I got a surprise. Nothing. In fact, the corner didn’t look all that different from a typical Saturday. People coming and going in and out of the mall. Traffic passing by. But I knew the parade was still in the area because I could hear the music bouncing off the nearby buildings. Sure enough, I looked down James Street, and there they were. A couple of blocks away what appeared to be the end of the parade had just passed the Lister Block and was nearing York Boulevard.

So I decided to follow the parade and really soak up the “island” atmosphere. After crossing with the light at the James-King intersection, I turned left and started walking north towards the parade. It didn’t take long for me to reach the final group. And in fact, as I continued down James, it also didn’t take long to cover the entire distance. By the time I reached Barton Street I recognized the floats and many of the dancers I had seen back when I was high above them at the Jackson Square Plaza. I kept walking, and a few minutes later reached LIUNA Station (the former Hamilton CN railway station which now serves as a banquet hall and convention centre). I had not only reached the front of the parade, but was now slightly ahead of it. If I felt like it, and I did, I could watch the whole thing a second time – this time from street level, up close and personal. I had thought about staying at LIUNA Station, but instead decided to keep walking down James Street and soon found a spot next to the curb just a block or so away.

The fact that this parade was not exactly setting speed records and that I had walked from the final float all the way up to the beginning fairly quickly wasn’t really too surprising. Down in the Caribbean, life tends to go at a different pace from what we would be used to here in Canada. It’s what many people like to call “island time”. I don’t know much about the concept – except that it’s just part of the Caribbean way of life. Maybe it’s the tropical climate and the more relaxed lifestyle. Perhaps that same tropical sun just zaps you of energy and you want to just slow down and take your time. I can certainly relate to that one. During our warm Canadian summer months, I often feel very drained and don’t have nearly the energy level that I have the rest of the year.

But whatever the reason, standing here in downtown Hamilton, joined by thousands of other spectators and participants, it seemed that this parade was running on “island time”. I wasn’t sure of the parade’s ultimate destination – but I knew one thing for sure. This thing would arrive at that destination not according to a set time or agenda, but when it was damned well good and ready to do so. It might take an hour to get there or it might take 3 hours. Who cares? If you’re having fun and just soaking up the party atmosphere, when you reach the end doesn’t really matter.

So where exactly was that destination? I had no idea. But I guess someone in the parade must have heard me thinking that. By this time, a massive red and black series of floats and dancers from Trinidad and Tobago that served as the lead group had reached me. And just as they did, the music coming from one of their floats stopped. The DJ announced to the crowd that at the next intersection, they would be turning off James Street and the parade would now head for Bayfront Park, only a couple of blocks west. Time for one more song before they got there. After a few seconds, the music and dancing started up again, and the float did indeed make a left turn off James a couple of minutes later.

And in that message I found out what I wanted to know. Bayfront Park was the parade’s final destination. Of course. It was so obvious, why didn’t I think of that? Everyone in Hamilton knows Bayfront Park. It’s a huge tract of land down by the waterfront. Lots of walking trails, green grass, picnic places and so on. Even some boat-launching facilities that can be put to good use by members of the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club and similar clubs based nearby. Or just your average boater who wants to spend the day out on the water. What better place for the Hamilton Mardi Gras parade to end – followed by a giant celebration of all things Caribbean that is likely still going even as I write this at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night, about 4 hours after I came back here? And will continue well into the night. Followed by a similar party at the same location all day tomorrow (Sunday August 8). Holding the celebrations there would be a no-brainer for the organizers.

Just as the parade was now heading for Bayfront Park, I decided to do the same. And in keeping with “island time”, I made it a fair distance ahead of the parade. Seems that a lot of other people had the same idea, because the place was rapidly filling up with folks, all intent on having a great time on a perfect summer day. It was indeed time for a “jump-up”. As for the parade and its impending arrival, it was one of those situations where you heard the music and the revellers long before you saw it. It seemed to take a long time but finally that Trinidadian float that I had seen back on James came into view. I stood at the entrance to the park and watched them arrive, an explosion of their red and black national colours with a celebration of Trinidadian culture to match. It was quite a sight to behold. Followed in their own good time by many other floats who made their presence known with their own music, dancing and other celebrations. Add them all together and it was quite an amazing atmosphere.

But what I didn’t realize at the time was that the parade had actually ceased to be one long celebration and had turned into smaller groups that came at you like the ocean waves that endlessly lap at the shores of those many Caribbean islands. In other words, not only was this thing running on “island time”, but it was also turning into “organized chaos”. Like all events, this one had some organization and structure to it, but in this particular case you had to look pretty hard to find it. Then again, isn’t that one part of the whole “island time” thing? Things get done in their own good time. I’ll bet anyone who has “agenda anxiety”, someone who believes in doing things according to a set time and schedule, would have trouble with “island time”. But that’s OK. It would be a pretty dull world if we all did things the same way, right?

I first began to realize what this parade had turned into quite some time after the lead floats and dancers had arrived at Bayfront and settled into the section of the parking lot designated as a staging area. As I watched them disperse and head off into the park itself for the next phase of the Mardi Gras celebrations, it suddenly dawned on me that most of the parade had still not arrived. Hmm – what was that all about? But then, just as I had wondered earlier where all this was eventually heading, an answer suddenly appeared. I could hear music coming from off in the distance, but gradually getting closer.

By this time I was standing at Bayfront’s large “lookout” area, gazing out over what was turning into quite the spectacle – a combination of the various floats and dancers reaching the end of the line, and a parking lot just below that reminded me of the tailgate parties you often see at football games. Not only was the parking lot full of cars, trucks, SUV’s and other vehicles, but many of their passengers had set up tables and chairs. Didn’t see any barbecues, but obviously folks had prepared food ahead of time. No one would walk away hungry from this party, and of course Caribbean food and drink was the dominant fare.

Did I mention the music from a distance getting closer? It was still coming, albeit at that slow “island time” pace, so I decided to leave the “lookout” area and walked back towards the entrance. Sure enough, it was indeed another section of the parade that I recognized from earlier that day. I guess these folks had taken “island time” to a whole new level and really decided to take their time arriving. But they were here at last and I decided to watch them enter the park. Just as before, it was quite the spectacle. An intoxicating mixture of sound and vision. I thought that was it, but then another “wave” of floats that I didn’t recognize came in a few minutes later. As it turned it, that really was the end of the parade.

Now everyone had reached the final destination. I decided to return to the “lookout” and just watched the whole thing. Between the massive tailgate party in the parking lot and the many revellers walking through the rest of the park and settling in for a day of partying and celebration, it really was quite the sight to behold.

I know this thing is getting long – not too surprising given that this often happens with my blog entries, but I really can’t wrap this up before talking about all the people I saw. They were thousands strong and seemed to represent a wide variety of ethnic origins. As one might expect, the dominant groups were those from the Caribbean. It started with the red and black of Trinidad and Tobago, and while there were a lot of “Trinis” there, they were far from the only nation represented. Also much in evidence were those wearing the yellow, green and black of Jamaica. Did I mention Barbados and their yellow and blue-clad supporters? Some of them waving their “trident” flag? Or the folks from Grenada or the Guyanese dressed in their common colours of red, gold and green?

And speaking of those colours, yes the Rastafarians were in evidence too. Granted, I didn’t hear any of the reggae music so closely identified with the Rastas, and popularized here thanks to artists such as Peter Tosh and of course the legendary Bob Marley. And I didn’t see a lot of them in attendance. But you knew they were there, especially when you saw an occasion Ethiopian flag in the air and photos of the late Emperor Haile Selassie, worshipped by Rastas as the long promised Messiah.

In addition to the above, I saw national flags and colours from many of the other Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Cuba, Antigua, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It was quite a mixture of cultures and backgrounds. And everyone was welcome and encouraged to get involved.

As one might expect, many people wore clothing that showed off their national origins, or the place they most identified with. One T shirt worn by several people particularly caught my eye. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it went something like this: “When I die, if I don’t go to heaven, please send me to [place name]”. The 2 most popular choices on the T shirts named Guyana, along with St. Vincent and the Grenadines. But it wouldn’t surprise me if that shirt is available with some other Caribbean nations too. The other piece of clothing that really stood out was a T shirt with the red and black Trinidadian flag on it. And below it was the phrase “I may live in another country, but I am still Trini!”.

In the end, I stayed at the “lookout” for some time and just took it all in. I had merely been a spectator all day, and that was really all I had ever wanted. By about 5:00 p.m., some 5 hours after I had first heard the parade getting started at the parking lot behind City Hall, I figured it was time to go home. I’d seen everything I wanted to see.

Time for some closing comments. My sincere and warmest congratulations to everyone associated with the Hamilton Mardi Gras 2010 Parade. I think the organizers did a first rate job, but of course the real stars of the show were the thousands of participants. The dancers in their incredible costumes. The DJ’s and others responsible for the music coming from those colourful floats. Yes, it was ear-splittingly loud and I suspect many people may wake up tomorrow morning with their ears still ringing. But it was fun to listen to and really lent itself to the mood of the day.

I didn’t talk to a lot of people today, but the ones I did speak to were very kind and friendly. I especially enjoyed the little kid I talked to for a couple of minutes while at the Bayfront Park lookout. He couldn’t have been any more than about 4 or 5 years old, but he was great. He kept waving at me and others nearby, and when I knelt beside him, said hello and asked him if he was having fun, he said “yes”. And he was pretty smart too. As we looked out over the parking lot and the tailgate parties, he kept saying “truck”, and when I asked him to point out some trucks to me, he did so right away.

Finally, I wish everyone associated with the Hamilton Mardi Gras Festival the very best of everthing in future. I’ll wager they are already starting to plan next year’s Festival and no doubt it will be bigger and better than ever. Will I be back in August 2011 to watch the parade again? Who knows? A lot can happen in one year, but right now I would say the odds are pretty good.

And in closing, I encourage everyone reading this – especially those of you living here in Hamilton or within a reasonable distance to get involved. If you’re coming to Toronto next year or in future years for Caribana, I hope you’ll stick around for our Mardi Gras celebrations here as well. You won’t be sorry. No, it’s not Caribana – but it’s pretty close. And just like the bigger show down the road in Toronto, it’s a wonderful celebration of Caribbean culture, as well as the diversity we can all appreciate, celebrate and enjoy.

Oops – I almost forgot. My computer? Working just fine. Purring like a kitten and running faster than it has for a while. I guess re-starting it this morning was the right thing to do after all. Little did I realize what one simple action would lead to. And that takes me back to where we started this entry.

POSTSCRIPT: It’s now August 4 2011 and almost one year to the day since I wrote this entry. And the 2011 edition of that Mardi Gras parade will fire up the streets of downtown Hamilton this coming Saturday (August 6). If you’re from Hamilton and surrounding area, or plan to be here this weekend, why not join in the fun? After what I saw last year (2010) which prompted me to write the blog entry above, I just might have another run at it myself. And if I do, rather than a long update to this entry I will probably write a sequel instead.

The weather forecast for Saturday, however, looks a bit iffy. Which is unfortunate for those who plan to participate – but is actually good news. The summer of 2011 has been a long, hot and very sticky one. Perhaps very much like Caribbean weather. But also very dry. Almost no rain on a consistent basis since June or maybe earlier. So if you are planning to join in the parade and/or the celebrations down at Bayfront Park that will likely follow it all (I assume this will follow the same pattern as what I wrote about last year), be sure to bring an umbrella and/or other rainwear. Until next time!

This just in – it’s now the evening of Saturday August 6 and I suppose what our friends at CNN and other media outlets describe as “Breaking News”. I did indeed write a blog entry about the 2011 Parade. You can find it at: The 2011 Hamilton Mardi Gras Parade Hope you enjoy it!